


A Bet

by juxtapose



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-04
Updated: 2012-01-04
Packaged: 2017-10-28 21:25:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/312329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juxtapose/pseuds/juxtapose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which the Knights stumble upon a private moment between the Prince and his manservant, Leon is uncomfortable, and Gwaine decides to make a bet. Pre-S4.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Bet

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am once more! Again I'll say that I've posted a lot of these to LJ already, but it's always nice to share and get feedback through other places. Hope you enjoy! Also, thank you to my friend Matt for looking this over originally. :D **Disclaimer** : As usual, I don't own Merlin. I probably would've kept my favorite knight alive if I did. /bitter

"This is wrong," Sir Leon said pointedly.

He was met with at least three sharp hisses of _Shh!_ in reply as the Knights of Camelot stood in a small cluster, expertly hidden behind a few trees.

 _Crunch_. Sir Percival stepped back on his heel and everyone winced.

"Has anyone else noticed that for all our training, we're doing a particularly terrible job at being stealthy?" Sir Gwaine snapped, nudging Percival who rolled his eyes, shifting the weight of the logs and sticks in his arms.

"I think they desire some . . . privacy. It would be rude and unseemly to interrupt, would it not?" Sir Lancelot whispered, a hint of bemusement in his voice.

Sir Leon shook his head. "This is _wrong_ ," he repeated, a bit louder this time.

"Sorry, er," Sir Elyan rapped his hand against the bark of a tree a few times, "I'm a bit new to all this, so I can't help but ask . . . is this what Arthur usually does on hunting trips while his knights are off collecting firewood?"

With that, all five men returned their attention to the sight which had prompted the Hiding Away in the Brush plan to begin with.

A few yards away stood Prince Arthur, smoke from the burnt out campfire dancing around him. The sunlight creeping through the high branches cast fragmented shadows on the ground, reflecting the intimately quiet image above it.

Held tightly in Arthur's arms was his manservant, Merlin.

Arthur was whispering something, his nose just touching the skin of Merlin's ear. Merlin let out a laugh in reply; a low, personal, secretive chuckle that indicated whatever had been said had been meant for him alone.

"I thought they were just good friends," Percival said awkwardly. "Who would've known?"

Gwaine snorted. "Do you do that with your friends, man?"

There was a beat before Elyan muttered, ". . . I've known for ages," and with the nods of agreement from his companions it was clear he hadn't been alone.

"We're _spying_ ," Leon chastised, clutching the bundle of firewood under his arm just a bit tighter, "We should just . . . return to camp like we were ordered to."

"I don't know about you," said Gwaine as he watched Arthur walk Merlin up against a tree, "but I'm not going to be the first one to stroll on over and interrupt that. Anyone else want to have his head on a stick?"

"Arthur wouldn't do that . . . " Elyan scoffed, and then: "Wait . . . would he?"

Gwaine pursed his lips. "I don't put anything past the Princess."

"We're Arthur's trusted Knights," Lancelot added very seriously, "If this is something he doesn't want us to know, then we must stand by his decision. And . . . pretend not to know."

Everyone let out a quiet chuckle then. Arthur, meanwhile, was running a gloved hand down the side of Merlin's arm. Merlin was speaking now, in a voice just above a whisper. Their eyes seemed to be permanently locked together by an invisible, impenetrable force, mesmerizing even to watch from afar.

"So," Gwaine said, mischief in his tone, "Who wants to make a bet as to when they'll kiss?"

There was a rustle of excitement among the Knights then, followed by an almost deafening silence as all five pairs of eyes stared analytically at the couple in front of them. Merlin had now slinked his arms around Arthur's neck. Both were still speaking in hushed voices.

"Surely they won't do it now," muttered Lancelot matter-of-factly after a long moment, "Not when they know we're coming back."

Percival shrugged. "That doesn't seem to be stopping them from doing . . . anything else."

"Let's all bet a round of drinks," Gwaine continued, "Whoever wins is treated by the rest of us at the tavern."

"You're on, mate," Elyan retorted with a grin, "I bet they'll wait until nightfall, when no one's watching."

"I quite agree, Sir Elyan," Lancelot nodded, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, "They wouldn't take the risk in daylight."

Gwaine ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "Nah. It's not that simple. They're being careful even as we speak. They'll wait until we get back to Camelot. And then let's just say if Prince Arthur is locked away in his chambers, don't come knockin'--ow!" The end of his sentence was cut off by a punch in the arm from Lancelot.

Silence fell over the brush once again, each moment more painstakingly drawn-out than the one before.

"I think they're going to kiss now."

Everyone fixed a surprised gaze on Leon, who had been very quiet up until this point.

"What?" Percival asked lamely.

Leon spoke up again, more confidently this time: "They are going to kiss now, because they don't know when they'll have another chance to. It's really quite simple. You're all over-thinking it. Arthur always says one of the most important strategies as a knight is not to over-think."

"We're not on the _battlefield_ , man," Gwaine laughed, "We're watching our lord and Prince have a bit of fun with our favorite servant--"

"Gwaine!" Lancelot hushed, punching his arm again. The other four had been so busy gaping at Leon that they almost didn't catch it:

Arthur pulled back from Merlin just a bit, and Merlin dropped his arms to lace his fingers with Arthur's. There was that look between them again, radiating from it a feeling that this was a world of their own, one which no one else could dream to know. And Arthur slowly leaned forward, pressing his lips against Merlin's and closing the space between their bodies.

"By the gods," Elyan mumbled incredulously. Lancelot was blushing. Gwaine slapped his hand to his forehead with a, "dammit", as Percival shook his head.

A few moans, some laughter and a "shut up, Merlin," later, it all ended, just like that. Merlin went back to tending the tents they'd set up a few hours prior, and Arthur started yelling at him to pick up the pace.

Sir Leon took this opportunity to walk out of the bushes, unable to hide the amused, lopsided smile on his face. The others trudged behind him, defeat hanging low with their bent heads.

"Ah,"Arthur said, nodding to them, "Firewood. Excellent. Merlin, get another fire going, would you?"

"Yes, sire," Merlin replied, exchanging a small smile with the Prince that, unbeknownst to him, certainly did not go unnoticed by the other five.

"I believe, my good companions," said Sir Leon, his voice laced with a significant evenness as he dropped his pile of firewood to the ground, "that you all owe me a drink.”


End file.
